Suffer Little Children
by Hopeakaarme
Summary: When an unfortunate accident turns Kyouya into a little child, Dino finds out things he would have rather not known as ghosts from times long past return to haunt his dear student. D18.


Diclaimer: I don't own the characters or the series. Amano Akira does. I'm just playing with them for a bit.

Warning: Implied and mentioned past child abuse.

* * *

><p><span>Suffer Little Children<span>

"Go left, Bucking Horse!"

As Gokudera shouted at him, Dino was already on the move, following the other moving figures from the corner of his eye. Gokudera was circling to the right, almost out of his sight as they sought the opposite sides of the building, while Kyouya approached their target head on, as usual.

There was, Dino decided with a delighted grin as his whip took down some unfortunate guards at a door, something especially exhilarating about going on missions with the Vongola guardians. Of course, anything that benefited Vongola more than likely was good for Cavallone's aims as well, but that sometimes felt more like just a little bonus on the side. Being a boss was hard work, and far too often it involved things like tons and tons of paperwork or long and boring negotiations or the meticulous handling of finances. Being able to cut loose every once in a while, especially in such great company, was a magnificent stress relief.

He heard a sudden noise from the direction of Kyouya's attack, and chuckled. His dear student certainly didn't care for subtlety. That was just as well, really; he would be the perfect distraction while Gokudera and Dino worked to secure the target. And if it got destroyed during Kyouya's rampage, well, that would be a pity but still an acceptable outcome.

They didn't rightly know a lot about what they were out to get. A rival family was conspiring against their alliance, they had heard, trying to develop some kind of new time-space warping technology. Though they didn't have any actual details, this alone was worrying. After the episode with Byakuran, they felt they couldn't trust any such attempts, definitely not by people who were already set against them from the start. Securing the technology would be a plus, but they would settle for simply destroying it all.

Taking the less obvious route into the building while listening to the distant sounds of Kyouya plowing his way through what was apparently half the building or so, Dino found he was greatly enjoying himself. Sending occasional reports through his headpiece to the monitoring headquarters and Romario, he worked his way through the guards and other such minions, delving deeper into the research complex. Romario's presence just within the perimeter of the mission area kept him from screwing up, allowing him to concentrate on simply doing what he was supposed to do.

There weren't too many clues as to where he was supposed to go, but the basic idea that important things were usually deep in the centre of the building got him rather far. Of course, Dino supposed he shouldn't have been very surprised as he finally located the laboratory, only to realize that Kyouya had got there first. A huge hole in the wall almost exactly opposite to the door Dino had arrived at marking his entrance, he had apparently just finished clearing out anyone who had been in the laboratory.

Some kind of an alarm light appeared to be blinking along the ceiling, the laboratory soiled with blood and battered bodies. In the middle, set clearly separate from the rest of the fairly vast area, was some kind of a half-finished device. It was currently giving out a strange hum, but aside from that, it appeared to be doing nothing for now.

Well. Apparently they had found their target.

As Kyouya approached the machine, the hum got higher in pitch. Dino's instincts cried out in alarm, telling him to get away from it. He just barely had time to duck behind the doorway as there was an exploding sound. Dino had just enough of a view to see Kyouya flying right against a wall, disappearing behind a pile of crumbled wall and destroyed machinery.

The device, whatever it was, appeared entirely destroyed as he ran past. Dino didn't really care. In fact, the machine was the last thing on his mind right now.

"Kyouya!" he shouted, rushing towards the pile of rubble with little concern for himself. "Kyouya, are you all right? Answer me!" Much to his terror, he got no answer. His frantic gaze scanning the crash site, he tried to find some kind of an indication of Kyouya.

Finally he spotted Kyouya's sleeve among the rubble, relief and terror fighting for dominance in his mind. At least he'd found Kyouya, but there were so many pieces of the wall and the machine... Getting carefully closer, he tried to actually see his student.

To his abject horror he realized the sleeve was empty. Inching closer, he barely dared to think of what he might see.

"Hayato-kun," he called out, a dreadful feeling spreading in the pit of his stomach. "This... I think you should come here."

Moving a piece of the machinery out of the way, he was now staring at what appeared to be an unconscious little child huddled inside Kyouya's clothes.

* * *

><p>"So, let me get this straight." Irie stared at the little boy lying unconscious in Dino's arms. The child – a small boy who looked awfully much like Kyouya – was practically drowning in the purple shirt his otherwise bare body was wrapped in, scratches and bruises marring the pale skin here and there. "The device they were building was triggered to self-destruct if anyone got too close to it – doubtlessly with a safety switch."<p>

"Right." Dino swallowed, nodding. "Kyouya walked up to it and it just suddenly... exploded." After that, they'd just made their way to the Vongola Italian headquarters as quickly as they could.

"He was thrown against a wall," Gokudera added. "Well, that's what the Bucking Horse tells; I didn't actually see anything... but when I got there, this was the only thing we found of Hibari."

"His bracelet and clothes were still there," Dino continued. "I... I can't imagine any other explanation except... this child is Kyouya."

"Well, we did detect a rather powerful time-space wave from your location," Irie said, still frowning. "But I'm still not sure it could cause such a local reversal... Especially since this is apparently not time travel, judging by the fact his clothes stayed behind."

"Obviously we need to figure out what this is, then," Gokudera snapped. "I'm not going to be the one who tells the tenth we have to put his strongest guardian into a kindergarten."

"Oh, I'm sure there's going to be some way to reverse it, whatever this 'it' is," Irie said. "First, though, we need more data on this. Preferably, we would need for him to wake up so we can get some kind of an estimate on his mental condition."

As if on cue, the child in Dino's arms chose this moment to stir, eyes forcing themselves ajar just a bit. Dino startled at the sudden movement.

"Kyouya!" he exclaimed when he realized the boy had finally woken up. "Oh, thank goodness, Kyouya, you're finally awake!" Relief filled with him. If Kyouya was at least waking up, he couldn't have been hurt too badly – well, aside from this particular problem of... size.

He certainly hoped this was nothing similar to the Arcobaleno transformation. If that were the case, there might not be anything they could do.

The child looked up at him, eyes wide in surprise and what almost looked like... fear. Except it couldn't be, because Kyouya was never afraid... right? "...Who are you, mister?"

* * *

><p>Little Kyouya, it appeared, did not approve of being shut in a strange glass tube with all kinds of meters and monitors attached. Nevertheless, he never said anything, merely frowning in a rather displeased manner. His mouth was set in a tight line as he hugged himself, wrapped up in his adult self's far too big shirt and little else. It practically broke Dino's heart to see him standing there, a child who apparently had no idea what was going on or where he was, but they did need to get some temporal readings from him if they wanted to have any hope of bringing the normal Kyouya back.<p>

Hunched over a couple of monitors, the technology whizzes were already hard at work. "It doesn't seem to be the usual effect of the bazooka," Irie said, frowning as he looked over the readings. "The fact that his clothes didn't change indeed seems to point towards a purely biological process... yet his memories have apparently regressed to approximately the same level, which would indicate some sort of personal time travel. We didn't get any readings of a major temporal shift, though..."

"What if he just hit his head?" Gokudera suggested. "He did fly against a wall and everything."

"That's possible," Irie admitted. "However, for that we'd need a medical examination. Maybe if we –"

"Maybe," Dino cut in, "we should let him out. I mean, I know I'm no scientist, but he doesn't look too happy in there." He nodded over to where little Kyouya's hands were now pressed against the door, the frown on his little face even deeper.

"Ah... right." Irie pressed the button to open the chamber. "Sorry... didn't realize, this is just –"

"Yeah, yeah," Dino murmured, walking closer. Kyouya stepped tentatively out of the chamber, little hands clutching onto the folds of the shirt. "Hello there," he said. "How are you?"

"Cold," the boy murmured. He hadn't reacted to anything but Japanese, so that was what they had to speak with him. "...The shirt is big."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed it." Dino smiled at the little figure, crouching down to his level. "I sent Romario to look for some clothes that might fit you better. He should be here shortly."

Kyouya looked at him for a while as though trying to figure out his motivations, then finally spoke quietly. "I... shouldn't take anything from you."

"Oh, it's all right, Kyouya. I know you don't remember me, but I'm not really a stranger." He reached a hand to ruffle the boy's hair, only to have Kyouya flinch away. Frowning, he let his hand fall down without touching the boy. "...Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Everyone says that," Kyouya murmured. "They say that but they always lie..."

Dino heard Gokudera mutter a brief curse under his breath, having apparently heard the child's words. Dino resisted the urge to say the same, instead doing his best to continue to smile. "Nobody here is going to hurt you, all right?" he said. "I won't let them. You're safe, I promise."

The grey eyes looked at him seriously. "Adults never keep promises." There was a kind of a resigned dejection in the narrow little eyes, as though he had accepted this as a fact of life and decided he did not like it very much.

"I'm a strange adult in that respect." Hesitating, Dino then reached one hand towards him. "Come on. Let's at least get you in some fitting clothes, all right? You won't be so cold, then. It must be pretty difficult to move, anyway; you're practically drowning in that shirt." Nice though it had looked on the adult Kyouya, right now it would have been silly except the splattered blood made it just downright creepy, matching in a rather unfortunate way the empty looked in the child's eyes.

For a moment, Kyouya still looked at him warily. Then, very hesitantly, he finally reached out a small hand to grasp on Dino's. His hand was tiny, almost entirely disappearing inside Dino's. He flinched again as Dino grasped onto him, but didn't pull away. Dino supposed this was a small victory.

Now, he just had to figure out how to get this little Kyouya trust him even the little bit that the adult Kyouya had.

* * *

><p>"...It's big." Kyouya tugged at the sleeve of the sweater he had been given. It was indeed a bit big, but then Kyouya was rather small, not that they could really tell very accurately what age he was supposed to be. He certainly looked very small right now, dressed in a pair of tiny jeans and the too big sweater, his still bare toes curling as he kicked his legs to and fro, sitting in a chair. His eyes were intently on Dino, had been most of this time, as though he was trying to figure out Dino's thoughts.<p>

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Dino said. "We'll try to get you something that fits a bit better soon, but at least it's better than nothing for now."

"...Ah." Kyouya lowered his eyes, now, his little fingers curling around the edge of his seat. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, Kyouya." Dino smiled the best he could. It was... unsettling, seeing this little thing who looked so much like his proud and powerful skylark yet was apparently nothing like him. He wondered what had prompted the change in Kyouya and when. He wondered what had made the child like this in the first place.

"Do I have to live here?" Kyouya gave the room a slightly apprehensive look. They were currently in the room that had been designated as Dino's in the Vongola Headquarters in Italy. It was nice and spacious, more than enough to house him the times he stayed over for a few days for one reason or another.

"I'm afraid so, for now," Dino replied. "We'd feel better if someone looked after you until we find a solution, and I happen to be the one with the most free time right now, unlikely though that may seem." After all, Kyouya had gathered quite a few enemies over the years, many of whom would have been absolutely delighted to take the chance of attacking a smaller, more vulnerable Hibari Kyouya. Dino had been charged with little Kyouya's safety until he could be returned back to normal, and that was a charge he was planning to take very seriously indeed.

"...This is your room." Kyouya hunched his shoulders a bit.

"I know. I don't mind sharing, though, and I hope you won't mind too much, either. I hope you don't mind sleeping on a futon for now; if this problem persists, we'll get you your own room, but for now, we'll keep things simple."

Kyouya nodded slowly, looking away from him. "...Do I have to go into that... tube... again?"

"Hopefully not," Dino sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We are just trying to figure out what happened to bring you suddenly here." He paused. "Well, the others are. I'm rather more concerned with looking after you."

The disbelieving gaze Kyouya gave him pretty much broke his heart.

A familiar chirp brought his attention to the doorway. A yellow little ball of feathers wandered in, quite happy by the looks of it. "Hibari! Hibari!" Hibird fluttered closer, apparently unfazed by the fact its master had taken on a less than ordinary form. "Hibari!"

"Ah, Hibird. I was wondering when you'd show up." Dino chuckled, looking at Kyouya. "You probably don't know this, but this is Hibird. It seems he has missed you."

"Missed me?" Kyouya looked wonderingly at the little bird that flew to him, taking perch on his finger. "Why would it miss me?"

"Because you're his owner, of course," Dino replied. "He likes you. It's obvious he's attached. Go on, pet his head," he urged. "He likes it."

For a moment Kyouya looked doubtful, but then carefully touched Hibird's head with one small finger. The bird seemed rather happy about it, tilting a bit to the side to lean into the touch.

"See?" Dino grinned,

"...You won't hurt it?" Kyouya asked suspiciously. He still appeared to be rather disbelieving that Dino would allow him to touch the bird.

"Of course not," Dino said incredulously. "Why would I want to hurt Hibird?" More importantly, why would Kyouya think he would?

"...It likes me." Kyouya's shoulders hunched ever so slightly as though in an attempt to appear even smaller. "Things that like me get hurt."

"Has that happened before, Kyouya?" Dino asked quietly. "Did someone hurt something that liked you?" Obviously, or he wouldn't think so, but...

Kyouya gave him a frightened look, shutting his mouth tightly. He shrank back a bit as though expecting Dino to get angry at him for even suggesting such a thing.

"Kyouya... I'm not angry at you." Dino forced a little smile on his face despite the cold feeling gripping at his heart. "Rather, I happen to like you, so I'd like to know if someone might want to hurt me."

The child was quiet for another moment. Finally, though, he spoke. "...I found a kitten," he said quietly, not looking at Dino. "It liked me. Father killed it."

...Oh. Right. "Well, I happen to like kittens, Kyouya," Dino said. "And I like birds, too. Especially Hibird. I would never hurt him." I would never hurt you, he added silently to himself.

Kyouya still looked quite doubtful, but at least he seemed more relaxed about holding Hibird close. Good. Even if it wasn't exactly familiar if he truly couldn't remember things beyond his apparent age, like their tests had indicated, it might at least call to the part of Kyouya that had always enjoyed the company of small animals. Maybe it would relax him now, too.

Kyouya certainly seemed content enough to spend some time with Hibird, focusing entirely on the bird and ignoring Dino. That was all right. It quite reminded him of the adult Kyouya, in fact, in a rather comforting manner. Kyouya rarely thought much of other human beings, but he certainly treated his pets very well.

"Kyouya." The child seemed slightly startled for a moment but looked over at him nevertheless. "...I think you should take this."

Kyouya blinked at him, looking at the bracelet Dino was handing over. "What's that?" he asked. "It's too big for me."

"It's yours, though," Dino said. "It might help keep you safe some day." He gave the child his best reassuring smile. "Just keep it on you, all right? It'll make me feel better."

Kyouya seemed to hesitate, then nodded, taking the bracelet, turning it over in his hands. Dino couldn't help but wonder whether he'd done so because of the promise of being safer or just to avoid displeasing an adult.

He was hardly surprised to discover that Kyouya was mainly quiet, barely making a sound even as he played with Hibird. What rather startled Dino, though, was the feeling he got from the silence. The Kyouya he was familiar with, the tall, strong man who never bowed down to anyone, was quiet because he rarely felt it worth his time to actually talk to someone else. This child, however, appeared to stay quiet because he had learnt the hard way that speaking up might lead to him getting hurt. The thought of someone hurting this child – any child, but especially this child – made Dino feel vaguely sick.

A traitorous little voice in the back of his mind said this was easier, anyway. Dealing with a little kid with the adult Kyouya's temper and attitude might have proved downright impossible. Nevertheless, as he tried to lead the child to the dining room for dinner, it tore at his heart to find Kyouya freezing behind the door as he heard voices through the door. Not that this was unusual for Kyouya – he'd never done well with crowds, after all – but never before had it been with such an expression of pure... fear.

"Do I have to eat here?" Kyouya asked quietly, looking at Dino questioningly.

"It really would be for the better," Dino replied with an equally quiet tone, carefully setting his hand on the child's shoulder, doing his best not to startle him. "I would feel better if you stayed close to me so I can keep you safe."

"But what if they hurt me?" Judging by the pleading look in his eyes, this was a very real fear for little Kyouya.

"I promise they won't." Dino crouched down, smiling at the child. "They might look at you a bit funny, but that's because they've never seen you before. None of them will hurt you, I promise. They're nice to children."

Kyouya hunched his shoulders. "Adults always lie."

"I promise you I'm telling the truth about this." Dino paused. "...If you'd feel better about it, we could just take the food and go eat somewhere else. Nobody but you and me. You do trust me, don't you?"

Kyouya's gaze made it painfully clear that no, he did not. Nevertheless, he nodded minutely, doubtlessly to the offer of eating away from the crowds.

As Dino had expected, everyone stared at little Kyouya. The child clung to his leg, apparently deciding that the protection he might offer from all these strangers would be worth taking the risk of Dino himself hurting him right here.

Thankfully nobody asked any questions, the ones who might have dared to quickly silenced by those who understood better, exchanging meaningful glances. Obviously, everyone had already been updated on Kyouya's condition, but he supposed actually seeing it for themselves was another matter altogether.

He didn't have to explain himself when he asked for two meals to take with him. The meals were quickly set on a tray, one portion considerably smaller, with another couple of questioning glances at Kyouya. Dino thanked and nodded and was on his way, determined to get Kyouya out of the highly uncomfortable situation as soon as possible.

He took their meals back to his room before setting the tray down, setting a place for Kyouya at his desk. At first the child looked hesitant, as though afraid he'd be punished if he took the offer, then finally attacked the food with all the fervour of someone absolutely ravenous for any nutrition whatsoever. Dino himself was slower, mainly just watching Kyouya. The child really was small, kneeling on the chair just to reach the desk. Granted, Kyouya had been rather slight for his age until his late teens and his final growth spurt, but he had never quite expected him to have been this... tiny... as a child.

"Kyouya?" he asked as the child was finally apparently done. "How old are you?" After all, the rest of his memories seemed to match his size. It only followed reason that he would remember that much.

Kyouya blinked as though surprised at the question, but answered nevertheless. "I'm five. Why?"

Smallest five-year-old Dino had ever seen. "No reason, I was just wondering," he said. "What do you like to do? I mean, for fun? I doubt we have any kids' books or videos in Japanese around here, but I'm sure we can get some." He'd fly them over from Japan if nothing else.

For a good moment, Kyouya was perfectly quiet, big grey eyes looking at him in a scrutinizing manner as though searching for some ulterior motive. "...I like to build," he finally said. "With blocks."

"Building with blocks. Got it." Mission one: get building blocks for Kyouya. "I'll make sure you'll have some tomorrow."

"Why?"

The simple question took Dino somewhat by surprise. "What do you mean, why?"

"Why would you do that for me?" Kyouya's brows knitted together in a frown. "I mean... I'm not important. I don't have anything for you." Then why did Kyouya flinch away even as he said that?

"Because, Kyouya, I already told you," Dino said softly. "I care about you. I want to take care of you. Of course I'll do everything I can to make sure you can be happy."

"Father never does." Kyouya looked at him seriously. "Father's the one who takes care of me but he never wants me to be happy."

"Then he's not taking very good care of you," Dino said, masking the anger that rose within him at that comment. He doubted Kyouya would be able to tell he wasn't angry at the child himself. "Why would your father want you to be unhappy?"

"I killed my mother," Kyouya murmured, now looking away as though unable to face him. "He says I did... If I hadn't been born, mother would be alive..."

"Kyouya... that was not your fault," Dino said quietly, swallowing. "I don't know what happened, but I do know that it wasn't your fault. A child like you couldn't possibly cause anything like that." He made a mental note to ask Tsuna to look into Kyouya's background. He rather felt there was a story there. A story that, if this situation wasn't reversed soon, they would need to know in order to deal with this little Kyouya.

"But I was born, wasn't I?" Kyouya asked quietly. "I was born so mother died and that made father unhappy, so I should be unhappy, too."

"That's just not true," sighed Dino. But how was he going to explain that to a five-year-old who had doubtlessly heard all this often enough in those five years, before he even comprehended what death was? Perhaps still didn't fully comprehend. "Children are something to be treasured and protected, Kyouya. It's a parent's duty to take care of them. If your father didn't – doesn't – understand that, he's the one at fault, not you."

"But I'm his," Kyouya pointed out simply. "It's for him to decide."

"No, Kyouya... it's not." Dino shook his head. "As long as you are here... I will not allow your father to hurt you. Not your father or anyone else."

The gaze Kyouya gave him was so disbelieving, it almost caused him physical pain.

"...Can I go to sleep?" Kyouya asked after a long while of silence.

"Huh? Sure," Dino said, somewhat surprised. His experiences of five-year-olds were limited to Lambo and I-Pin, but although he was certain those two were hardly typical examples of their age group, he still hadn't expected Kyouya to... give in... so very easily. "You must be tired from everything that's happened today. I'll just get someone to bring in a futon for you."

Kyouya simply nodded, quiet. He drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He stayed huddled up like this even as Dino called in one of the guards patrolling the corridor with the guest living quarters, making his request.

Soon enough, Dino had managed to acquire both a futon, all set out for Kyouya to go to sleep, and a pair of pyjamas from the ever thoughtful Romario, as well as sent out instructions regarding the acquisition of some toys for little Kyouya for the following day. Dino himself hadn't even thought to consider sleep wear, but of course Romario would think of everything. Noticing Kyouya's shyness returning from the previous time he'd changed clothes, Dino obediently turned away while he changed into the pyjamas. They were a bit big, or rather Kyouya was a bit small, but at least they were certainly warmer than nothing at all.

"Sleep well, Kyouya," Dino murmured as Kyouya crawled under the covers. "Do you mind if I keep the desk lamp on so I can read for a bit?"

Kyouya shook his head wordlessly, eyes big in the soft light barely reaching his end of the room. Then, just as Dino was certain he wouldn't speak, he murmured, barely audibly, "Light keeps the bads away."

Dino blinked. "The what?"

"The bads," Kyouya murmured. "Bads always come in the dark." This was apparently the most eloquent answer he could manage.

"...Oh." Dino gave the child a faint smile. "...In that case, would you like me to leave the light on for the rest of the night?"

His only answer was a quick nod before the dark mop of hair disappeared entirely under the covers.

For a little while, Dino read at his desk, deeply absorbed in the novel he had been working on for weeks, never quite getting the time to concentrate on it. Then, however, his focus was broken by the quiet sound of someone crying. Someone small crying in the same room.

"Kyouya?" he asked, standing up and looking over. "Kyouya, are you all right?" He took a couple of steps towards where Kyouya was hiding under the covers. Yes, definitely crying.

"I'm asleep," he heard a murmured claim somewhere deep under the cover.

"I don't think you are." Dino walked closer to the futon. The little bundle shifted further away from him, still sounding like it was crying. "...Kyouya?"

"Go 'way," he heard a choked sound, something between a plea and an order, sharp as though in anger but he could tell it was mostly just some make-believe. The child was far too afraid for actual anger. "Don't – don't touch me..."

Dino's hand, half extended to draw the covers away to get a look at the child, fell to his side. Looking helplessly down at the sobbing child out of sight, he finally sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Kyouya... I won't hurt you," he said quietly. "I won't even come near you, all right? You can stay there and go back to sleep, and I'll go sit over by the door and make sure nothing and nobody gets into this room." Anything, anything at all if it would save him from having to hear that anguished little sound again. "I promise. Nothing will come to hurt you."

There was no answer, which he supposed was as much of one as he was going to get for now. Sighing, he walked over to his bed, drawing the duvet off it and wrapping it around himself before walking over to the door, leaning against it before sliding to the door. If he'd promised to guard the door, then guard the door he would.

When he woke up in the morning, his back was stiff and aching, but Kyouya was asleep on his futon, head peeking out from the covers just enough to show part of a tear-stained face. It was, Dino concluded, just about enough.

Romario arrived soon, as usual, with some strong coffee and news, speaking with a quiet tone so as not to awaken Kyouya. He raised his eyebrows at Dino's somewhat frazzled appearance but didn't comment beyond offering to look after Kyouya while Dino took a shower. This particular offer was like the words of angels from heavens, eagerly accepted by Dino who sipped his coffee while Romario reported on the toys. It would take another moment to get books and videos that Kyouya could understand, Romario told him regretfully, probably until the following day, but they were sending a man out to a toy store as soon as one opened to get some entertainment for the child, and yes, they would remember building blocks. Dino thanked him, eyes wandering towards Kyouya's sleeping form. Hopefully, the child would like his toys.

Apparently Kyouya had been quite exhausted; though Dino had heard tales about children getting up way too early, especially if they had gone to sleep before their supposed bed time, the child slept quite late, enough so that Dino was starting to worry. Then, he supposed the time Kyouya had gone to bed did not exactly coincide with the time he had actually gone to sleep, if his quiet sobs had been any indication. By the time the child actually sat up on his makeshift bed, blinking blearily in Dino's direction, Dino had already showered and gotten dressed in clean clothes, a hopefully more fitting set of clothes and some new toys set beside Kyouya's bed.

"Good morning," he said, smiling at the somewhat confused child. "Have a look. I asked for building blocks, but Romario also sent for a teddy bear, crayons and a ball for you to play with." Not that he was surprised. Romario was a father himself; of course he would know better than Dino just what would entertain a child of five.

Kyouya's eyes widened. Regretfully, Dino couldn't entirely tell if it was in surprise or just plain disbelief. Most likely, he thought morosely, it was the latter. The child hardly was used to being in the receiving end of any kindness.

"...These are... for me?" Kyouya asked, sounding somewhat wary. As Dino simply nodded, he frowned. "But… why?"

"Because we don't know when we can solve this... problem," Dino explained, not sure just how much the child understood of his situation, "and it would be quite cruel to leave you with nothing to amuse yourself with in the meantime. So, yes, these toys are for you. You may play with them however you wish, and nobody will take them away from you. I personally guarantee that."

"Why do you care?" Little Kyouya looked up at him with wide, wondering eyes. The pure confusion there tore at Dino's heart. The child really couldn't understand why anyone would care about him.

"Because, Kyouya," Dino said quietly, crouching down to face the child at eye level, "you remind me of someone else... someone who is more important to me than anything." It was true, anyway. Had it come down to it, he probably would have given his life to protect Kyouya. Sure, the younger man would have called him an idiot and an herbivore for doing something so unnecessary, but he would have done so nonetheless.

The pain of living on without Kyouya would have been much worse than dying to keep him safe. And though the feelings he found dwelling within himself towards this little child were different – a fact for which he was more grateful than anything; he would have been quite worried had his feelings for the child matched exactly those he had for the adult – he still wanted to protect this child, this little Kyouya, with everything he had.

Apparently Kyouya accepted his explanation for the moment, just nodding slowly, his eyes still big. "Someone you... love?" He hesitated at the word as though it had been a somewhat foreign concept, something he had to test out to see if it even made any sense.

"Yes, Kyouya," Dino confirmed, looking the child in the eye. "Someone I love very much." Someone with dark hair and narrow eyes and the most delightful, charming bloodthirsty smirk in the entire world.

"...Oh." Kyouya nodded again, though he still looked somewhat confused. Somewhat hesitantly, he approached the toys, then suddenly grabbed the teddy as though afraid it would disappear the moment he showed any interest, only to give Dino a fearful glance right afterwards. Dino gave him a smile as encouraging as he could manage, ignoring the terrible, terrible feeling in his chest.

Breakfast was thankfully more manageable than dinner had been, most people already out and about at this hour so they weren't crowding Kyouya as he ate. Nevertheless, he insisted on returning to Dino's room right afterwards, hugging the teddy to his chest. After quite a bit of hesitation, he agreed to settle the teddy down, opening the box of building blocks instead. Dino watched quietly as Kyouya slowly and methodically built a complicated structure out of the toys, setting one on top of another, finding the perfect balance for the various pieces, his artful little tower reaching up over his own height in graceful arches and columns and doorways.

He wasn't sure how much time Kyouya spent on it, his own sense of time slipping away as he concentrated watching the child. Kyouya had an incredibly focused expression as he studied each individual piece, sometimes testing several times before finding the perfect place for it in his structure. Perhaps he was only four, but it was certainly clear just where Kyouya's management skills came from, the ones that would later bring him such success at the lead of the ever-reaching tendrils of Foundation, every man involved little more than a puppet at his fingertips, perfectly balanced just as the blocks.

Finally, Kyouya was done, carefully setting the last piece on top of his complicated structure. He sat down next to it, looking at it for a moment.

Then, he stood up again, stepped forward, and very purposefully knocked the building over, kicking and pushing until not a single block lay on top of another anymore.

"Kyouya!" Dino exclaimed, startled at the sudden aggression. "Why did you do that?"

Kyouya in turn appeared to be startled at his sudden question, cowering away as though fearing he would be punished. "I'll clean it up!" he said, sounding genuinely scared, arms reaching up to shield his head from the punishment he was sure would be coming. "I swear I will clean it up!"

"I'm not mad at you, Kyouya," Dino said softly, extending his hands in a peaceful manner. "I promise you, I'm not. I just... don't understand. Why would you do that?"

Kyouya looked at him seriously, grey eyes grave under a furrowed brow. "...It would have gotten broken anyway," he said. "I wanted to break it myself before anyone else could."

Okay. Don't freak, Dino. Just smile. Kyouya always wanted to control himself and his actions, right? Obviously, this is just another part of it. "Well, now you can build it again if you wish," he said. "Make it even bigger and better, too."

For a moment, Kyouya stared at him, as though surprised. Then, he nodded slowly. "Yeah," he murmured. "I'll make it better."

He was still working on the next incarnation of his block fortress as it came time for lunch.

They spent the day mainly in silence, Dino working on his paper work and Kyouya playing with the blocks. A few people tried to catch a glimpse of the child, curious as they were, but Dino made sure to chase them away; poor Kyouya was a frightened little child, not some curiosity on exhibit.

Unfortunately, sending Romario to Irie for some more information yielded no results. They were still going through the information they'd gathered, Romario told him; they'd be sure to inform him as soon as they had any idea of how to return Kyouya back to normal. Dino nodded and frowned and sighed. It wasn't that he didn't trust them to keep their word – or do their best to keep it, anyway – but he knew perfectly well just how engrossed the scientists could get in their research. They could very well simply forget to tell him because their findings were just that fascinating.

Kyouya was still being quiet, he observed. Spending hours on end with his blocks, he barely said a word, except to greet Hibird as the yellow ball of fluff joined them. He seemed very concentrated on his building, the teddy bear sitting next to him, watching patiently. And again, as he finished building, he looked at the tower for a moment, then knocked it down.

This time, Dino didn't even ask him why, merely quietly helped him gather the blocks back together so he could start over.

"There's something wrong with the kid," Romario murmured as he brought some more papers for Dino to look over.

Dino sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked over to where Kyouya was apparently building an archway just for Hibird to sit on. "Thank you, Captain Obvious... How about you next tell me something I don't know."

"The science people came up with something."

"Oh?" Dino's head immediately snapped to look at Romario. "About Kyouya? What?"

"They believe they have at least figured out just what happened." Romario set a paper filled with Irie's neat handwriting on the desk. "Take a look."

Dino quickly scanned through the document, frowning. "Personal age set-back doubled with head trauma," he murmured. "Basically... his body de-aged, and the shock caused his mind to regress to match his current state?"

"That's what it looks like, yes." Romario sighed. "They believe another trauma might return at least his mind to normal... but obviously, we can't exactly test that." He glanced at Kyouya. The child was eyeing them warily, apparently uncomfortable at Romario's presence, but was doing his best to concentrate on his tower.

"Certainly not." Dino shook his head, reading further. "As for his body... the temporal energy of the explosion caused an accelerated biological regression, fair enough. But what do they mean by reserved energy?"

"I asked about the same thing," Romario replied. "Apparently, all that energy had to go somewhere. Best case scenario, it all comes back at once, and he's back to normal like nothing happened. If we're a bit less lucky, his body will grow at an accelerated rate until he's caught up as the energy is released gradually. Unlucky, he never gets it back, and we're simply looking at a five-year-old with his life ahead of him."

Dino raised his eyebrows. "And worst case scenario?"

"Worst case... he grows normally, then ages twenty years in one night when it all finally returns."

Dino sighed. "...One hopes he isn't too attached to his second chance at childhood, then." He looked over at Kyouya again. Despite the child's concentration on his building, the grey eyes were firmly set on them. Dino paused, then raised his voice. "It's all right, Kyouya," he said. "Romario works for me. He will not hurt you."

He half expected Kyouya to call him a liar and claim that everyone was out to hurt him, but to his surprise, the child was simply silent, nodding without a word. The doubt was still clear in his eyes, though.

The poor, poor child.

They ate dinner at Dino's room again. This time, however, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Nodding at Kyouya in a sign that it was okay for him to simply continue eating, Dino went to answer the door. Opening it, he found Tsuna looking at him with a serious face. "...Something wrong?"

"Ah, I... I need to speak with you." Tsuna glanced past him into the room. Looking over his shoulder, Dino saw Kyouya watching them. "Could... could you step outside for a minute?"

"Sure." Dino glanced at Kyouya, murmuring a quick, 'I'll be right back,' before stepping out and closing the door behind himself. "So. What is it, Tsuna?"

"I... heard what Irie-san found." Tsuna sighed. "About how they aren't sure how and when Hibari-san is going to return to normal... if he is." He shook his head. "I'm sorry you've been stuck with this ever since. I've already started making arrangements –"

"Tsuna," Dino interrupted the younger mafia boss. "No arrangements need to be made. I'll care for Kyouya. I'll keep him safe and sound."

"Dino-san... you don't have to. This isn't your problem. I know you were... are close with him, but this is a problem for the Vongola. There's no reason for you to get any more involved in this."

"I was with him, Tsuna. I should have guessed there might be something wrong. I should have stopped him." He shook his head. "I didn't, and look what happened."

"Dino-san, nobody is blaming you." Tsuna frowned.

"Except I am." Dino looked at him seriously. "I know you like to think of this as your family's matter, Tsuna... but at the moment, he isn't part of your family. He's a frightened little child, and I think the best thing he can have right now is some manner of stability. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to take care of him."

Tsuna raised his eyebrows, now. "Even if it takes another ten, fifteen years?"

"If that's what it takes... yes." Dino nodded. "Even so."

"Dino-san... don't take this the wrong way, now, but... why?" Tsuna looked at him with honestly confused expression. "I mean, I can understand you care about him, but... we're not talking about patching up a wound, here. This is more – much more. None of this was your fault. You have no reason to take such a responsibility."

"I want to do my best to keep him safe," Dino said quietly. "To me, that's plenty of a reason."

For a long time, Tsuna merely looked at him, not saying anything. Finally, he nodded. "...All right." He sighed, shaking his head. "You'll still have to stay here for a few days, though. Irie-san wants to run some more tests so he needs Hibari-san here at hand."

"Fine," Dino said, inwardly vowing to at least monitor those tests to make sure their dear scientists treated Kyouya like a human being and not like some fascinating new toy they'd discovered in the rubble. "And if he's still in this state after that... I'll take him to my care on the Cavallone estate. Though given that your intelligence is better than ours, I would appreciate it if you looked into Kyouya's parents for me." As Tsuna looked a bit hesitant at his suggestion, he sighed. "Tsuna... we both know it only makes sense. Kyouya has made plenty of enemies, and he's extremely vulnerable right now. I'm not saying they won't find him there if they really look, but at least it's not the first place they'll stick their noses into, and at least we have less outsiders walking in and out every day."

"I... guess you're right." Tsuna still looked rather troubled. "Just... please keep in mind you don't have to do this alone, Dino-san. He's not just your responsibility."

"I know, Tsuna." Dino gave him a faint smile. "I know, and I'll remember." He ruffled his so-called little brother's hair. Tsuna really had grown up to be a great young man. "You don't need to worry... about me or Kyouya."

Somehow, Tsuna managed to return his smile.

* * *

><p>Something startled Dino awake.<p>

It was, he thought blearily, just as well; as he discovered upon awakening, he had fallen asleep on his desk, head resting on his folded arms. Yawning, he sat up, stretching his stiff neck.

A quiet sound reminded him of the fact that something had indeed made him wake up. Turning his head, he looked around the room. It was long since dark outside, but the small lamp on his desk cast enough light to illuminate the rest of the room in various shades of grey.

There was a small figure quietly creeping towards the door.

Dino frowned, pushing his chair away from the desk. "Kyouya?" What was the child doing up at this hour? The bathroom was at the other end of the room, so that couldn't be the reason. That door led out to the corridor.

Kyouya froze, apparently startled by his voice. Standing up, Dino walked towards him.

"Kyouya, is something wrong?" he asked. "Where are you going?"

"Out." Kyouya's voice was terribly quiet, but still well audible in the nigh-silence of the night.

"Now, we can't have that, Kyouya," Dino sighed, approaching him. "It's the middle of the night, and you should be asleep. You might hurt yourself or catch a cold if you go out at this hour, anyway. Come on, let's get you back to bed."

For a moment, Kyouya just stood still, clutching his teddy close. Then, just as Dino was about to pick him up, he lunged, practically running towards the door.

Sadly for little Kyouya, Dino's life was not entirely paperwork. Kyouya himself, in his usual form, had made sure that the Don was capable of certain physical feats as well. This included, apparently, catching and holding onto a five-year-old before he could make it out of the door.

"No! NO!" Kyouya shrieked as Dino caught him, struggling against his hold with what little strength he had. Dino clenched his teeth, ignoring the feeble little attacks, holding tightly onto him.

"You can't just go wandering out on your own," he tried to explain. "Come on, calm down. It's time for you to sleep."

"No! Let go!" Kyouya, he realized to his shock, was... crying. Crying, and doing his best to get away from him.

He almost let instinctively go of the child, but then reminded himself that Kyouya was being hysterical at the moment. He might have run off anywhere had Dino let go just then. Biting his lip, he drew the child tightly against his chest.

"Calm down. Nobody will hurt you," he murmured, repeating it over and over like some sort of a mantra, not sure which one of them it was meant to soothe more. "Calm down. Nobody will hurt you..."

Slowly, so agonizingly slowly, Kyouya's struggles subsided, giving way to quiet sobs that wrecked the entire little frame. "Sorry," whispered Kyouya. "Sorry... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Dino replied. "I'm the one who's sorry... I just can't let you wander out. I'm sorry. I just want to make sure you're safe."

"But someone will hurt me," Kyouya murmured with the kind of fearful certainty that should have never been in the voice of a child so young. "It's never safe. Someone will find me and hurt me."

"I promise you, Kyouya," Dino said quietly, hugging the child close though not holding onto him quite as tightly as before, "as long as you stay close to me, I won't let anything or anyone hurt you. Not ever."

For a long time, Kyouya was quiet. Then finally, he asked, sounding almost desperate for some kind of reassurance to cling to, "Promise?"

"Promise," Dino said firmly. "And unlike the other adults you have had to deal with... I keep my promises. No matter what."

Kyouya's sobs didn't quite end, but they did get a bit quieter. Finally the child fell entirely silent. Taking a look at him, Dino found that he had fallen asleep, one small hand clutching onto Dino's tear-stained shirt.

Kyouya looked almost... peaceful, for now, for someone who had been in absolute hysterics just moments before. His face was still wet with tears, the dark brows set in a frown, but at least he was asleep, getting some rest from his endless fears. Dino wondered how long it would take for him to stop fearing.

Despite himself, he couldn't help but wonder whether Kyouya ever had truly stopped fearing, the first time around.

Holding the slumbering child against his chest, Dino almost let himself dream. Almost. It would have been so nice, he thought wistfully, so very nice to cradle a dark-haired child just like this, telling him to calm down please dear just stop crying, and then have Kyouya walk in and take the child from him and smirk at him. It would be so very nice, and so very impossible, it didn't matter how much he wanted it when Kyouya could never be his and even if that had happened somehow they would never have a child between the two of them, anyway.

Worst case scenario, he would raise this child as his.

Sad though he was to think that the real Kyouya might never resurface, this was still infinitely better than losing Kyouya entirely.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Kyouya. I promise you it won't hurt. They just need to take some measurements."<p>

Kyouya looked at him doubtfully, teddy in his lap. "It's big and cold," he said accusingly, glaring at the big glass tube.

"I know. But it didn't hurt, did it?" Dino ruffled the child's hair. "Come on. Would you like to let them try it on teddy, first? So you can see it doesn't hurt?"

Against his expectations, Kyouya's eyes widened now. "...No," he murmured then, looking aside. "They don't need to try on teddy."

"Come on, kid," Spanner said. "It will only take a moment, and I'll give you a lollipop after we're done."

Kyouya hesitated, then suddenly stuck the teddy into Dino's hands. "You said I get hamburgers," he said.

"Yes," Dino said with his most solemn voice. "There's hamburgers for lunch once we're done with this."

"...Fine." And, having left teddy in Dino's care, Kyouya then let the scientists proceed with their examinations.

Of course, Dino kept his word about lunch. As Kyouya was done eating, though, the child simply sat silently. Dino looked at him for a long while.

"You were scared, weren't you," he said quietly. It wasn't a question. It would have been quite idiotic to ask about something so obvious.

Kyouya hesitated, then finally nodded, clutching his teddy close. "But they didn't get teddy," he then said, almost defiant.

"They wouldn't have hurt teddy, either." Dino did his best to smile at the child.

"Still." Kyouya hid his face against the stuffed toy. "Can't let them have teddy."

Dino sighed. This was just a hunch, but... he supposed he knew Kyouya well enough to follow through on such hunches. "...Let me guess." He looked seriously at Kyouya. "You cannot protect yourself, because you're too small and weak, still... but if you protect your teddy instead, it's all right, because you haven't failed even if you get hurt, yourself." After some hesitation, Kyouya nodded. Dino sighed, reaching out a hand to carefully brush a lock of hair from the child's serious face. Thankfully, Kyouya didn't flinch away from his touch, this time. "Let's make a contract, Kyouya, all right? You can protect teddy, and I will protect you. That way neither of you gets hurt. Deal?"

"...I told you," Kyouya murmured. "Adults don't keep their promises."

"And I told you I do." Dino did his best to smile at the child. "Look... adults keep promises to each other, right? At least if promises are called contracts. Would you like me to have Romario write a contract for the two of us? Then we can both sign it, and that way I won't have any way to go back on my promise, because not even adults can get out of contracts."

Kyouya's eyes widened ever so slightly. "...Seriously?"

"Seriously." Dino nodded gravely. "We'll make a protection contract. That way both you and your teddy can be sure you have someone to look after you, no matter what. I can have Tsuna put his seal on it, too. You remember Tsuna, right? He's the boss in this house, so as long as we are here, even I have to do what he says." Well, within reason, anyway. "So if he puts his seal on the contract, there's no way I can back out of it."

Now, the child looked him directly in the eye, nodding with a look of absolute seriousness on his face. "...Okay."

There was, Dino noted, a strange shift to Kyouya's behaviour after they wrote up and signed the contract, complete with both the Cavallone and Vongola seal. Tsuna treated the matter with the utmost seriousness, never even thinking of letting his expression belie any form of wondering or shock at seeing the child acting so gravely about the matter. Dino had seen Tsuna deal with actual business contracts more light-heartedly than with this little bit of peace of mind for the poor child. And peace of mind it apparently granted, however small a sliver it might have been. Kyouya still acted wary, but at least he seemed to now be more trusting of Dino, apparently satisfied with his endless reassurances now that they had been confirmed in an "adult" manner. It was certainly worth the trouble of a bit of paperwork and demands for a later explanation from Tsuna if it meant Kyouya could go to sleep without worry, clutching his little bear close to his chest.

Oh, the naivety of children.

* * *

><p>A week seemed to go by very quickly, Dino mused, and yet it had appeared to take forever. He'd long since ceased counting just how many times Kyouya knocked down his block tower, how many times he woke up in tears, how many times something that appeared completely innocent to him would send the child into a crying fit. All he cared was that sometimes, however rarely, he caught Kyouya looking more or less peaceful, almost happy for a fleeting moment or two.<p>

Maybe, somehow, he could turn this around.

Right now Kyouya was apparently having fun bouncing his ball around one of the training halls. Dino had offered to play with him, but apparently he was perfectly content by himself, bouncing the ball off the wall and hurrying to catch it best as he could.

The hall was generally not used at this time of the day, or so Dino at least had been told, so he was slightly surprised to find someone arriving. However, he relaxed as he found it was just Carlo, one of the guards on duty. "Something wrong?"

"Ah, nothing wrong, precisely," Carlo said. "Don just says he wants to see you."

"Ah, all right." Dino looked over to where Kyouya was now looking at them curiously. "Kyouya? Would you mind staying here for a bit? I'll be back soon, and I'm sure Carlo won't mind standing at the door to make sure nobody else comes here. Right, Carlo?"

"Got it, Don Cavallone." Carlo nodded firmly.

Dino hurried over to Tsuna's office, not wanting to make Kyouya wait any more than necessary even if he was confident he would be safe and well in Carlo's care. Tsuna was apparently already waiting for him, looking up from some papers on his desk. "Ah, Dino-san. Glad you made it here so fast."

"Carlo did say you had something to tell me," Dino replied. "Something happened?"

"Well, remember when you asked me to look into Hibari-san's parents? I did." Tsuna pushed a few papers over the desk. "It appears his mother died in childbirth... most unfortunate." He shook his head slowly.

Dino nodded, not exactly surprised. He had gathered as much from Kyouya's various comments. "And his father? Did you find any info on him?"

"Better than that, my men actually managed to reach him personally," Tsuna told him. "He arrived from Japan this morning."

"You're not serious." Dino could practically feel himself paling. Tsuna had... brought that man here?

"Why wouldn't I be?" Tsuna frowned. "I know it's highly unusual, yes, but it's not like he knows who we are or what we are doing here. All he knows is that this is an office for a company Hibari-san works for, and that his son is here and he's been hurt. I couldn't exactly deny him his request."

"Tsuna, you've seen the kid!" Dino shouted. "Kyouya's five years old and afraid of everything that moves! You can't let that man near him like that!"

"Well, obviously it'll take some explaining, but I'd think that's just all the more reason why he should have his father here!" Tsuna snapped back. "Besides, they haven't seen each other in who knows how many years!"

God. He'd known Tsuna could be a benevolent idiot at times, but this was going rather too far even for his good-natured stupidity. "Tsuna, think. Think carefully. Kyouya's not afraid of you, or me, or Romario, or anyone else specifically. He's afraid of all adults, no matter who it is. At this time, he would have been in his father's care. By the time we first met him, he obviously wasn't afraid, and he hadn't been in touch with his father for years. Don't you perhaps see any connection here?"

This time, Tsuna paled as well. "You mean... his father..."

"I have plenty of reason to believe his father is the main reason Kyouya thinks anyone who as much as looks at him is planning to harm him." Dino grasped Tsuna's shoulders, probably harder than he'd meant to. "Where is he, Tsuna?"

"I – I'll have to ask the guards," Tsuna said, looking horrified now. "I left him with Antonio. I... told them to find you and Hibari-san..."

Training halls. He'd left Kyouya there. Letting go of the younger Don, Dino was already running as he glanced over his shoulder at Tsuna. "Get some more guards, fast!" he snapped. "And close all the exits! I swear, if that man has harmed one hair on Kyouya's head..." Tsuna merely nodded mutely, not questioning him.

As his luck would have it, he ran into Antonio and Carlo on their way back from the training halls. Sans Hibari the elder. They seemed somewhat surprised at his obviously agitated state. "Ah - Don Cavallone?"

"Kyouya," Dino said curtly. "Where is he? With whom?"

"In the first training hall. We left him with his father," Antonio replied. The fool. "His father told us it was all right and he'd just wait –"

Dino didn't hear anything more, speeding right past them.

Kyouya. Kyouya was alone with that man. His Kyouya...

Reaching his destination, he froze at the door. There was a man in the training hall, perhaps in his late forties or so, a man who looked almost exactly like an older version of Kyouya, eyes and all. He was apparently trying to get little Kyouya to come with him, but the child struggled against him, doing his best to escape from the much stronger adult. It was a futile effort, Dino could tell as much. Without help, the tiny child would be easily carried away.

"Dino!" Kyouya cried out, reaching a hand towards him as he saw Dino entering the room. "Dino, help!" The absolute terror in his voice caught Dino's heart in a cold, strict grip. Forcing himself to ignore the terrible feeling, he instead stood up straight, approaching the man with purposeful strides.

"Hand him over," he said, hissing through gritted teeth. "Now."

"Why?" The man glared at him. "He's my son. Granted, I've no idea how he suddenly turned into a brat again, but then he always was a freak. He's my son, so I have every right to take him with me if I wish."

"No! Don't let him take me!" Kyouya pleaded, still reaching towards Dino while trying to free himself from the man's grip. He didn't exactly succeed. "Please, Dino!"

"Kyouya is a grown man," Dino said coolly, hand fiddling with the whip on his belt. If only he'd had actual evidence... the man would have been dead already. "His current physical state doesn't change the fact that he has long since been free of your control, nor does it change the fact that you never had any moral right to him to begin with. The purpose of a parent is to protect their child, not destroy their life."

"Oh, but you've got it all wrong." The grin the man gave him was anything but sane. "The brat's the one who ruined my life, not the other way around."

"Let him go. Right now." Dino grasped his whip, uncoiling it with an aura of danger. He was entirely prepared to take the man down then and there if need be. "Otherwise... you will face the consequences of angering me."

"Oh, please. Like I'm afraid of some ridiculous poofter who has been spoiling the brat." The man sneered. "You should feel lucky I'm not charging you rent for the time you've kept him. I bet you've had fun."

These words, along with the stomach-churning implications they carried, were what made Dino snap. With a swift strike of his whip on the big hand, he managed to get the man to loosen his grip just enough for Kyouya to slip free. Grasping the boy and pulling him behind himself, Dino started backing slowly away from the man. Control yourself, he reminded himself. Control your anger until Kyouya is safely out of the way. Then, you can let loose.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" the man spat. Suddenly, he was holding a pair of tonfas. Dino was so startled by the apparent resemblance to Kyouya's fighting style, he didn't react fast enough at first, only stopping the first attack mere inches before it actually hit him. He bounced back, brandishing his whip properly, glaring at the man. If the other wanted to fight right away, well, he could fight. He'd take down any man if that was what it took to get little Kyouya to safety.

Somewhat surprisingly, though, this time his attack was dodged rather expertly, the man moving aside more swiftly than he could have ever expected only to launch an immediate counterattack. Dino only barely blocked it before leaping out of the way of the next one.

Oh. Right. Not just any man. This was Kyouya's father. Of course he could fight.

Unlike with Dino's countless spars with Kyouya, though, this fight was anything but equal. While the man's fighting skills weren't exactly superior to Kyouya's – Dino rather suspected the son had surpassed the father, in fact – Dino had to constantly make sure Kyouya was safe. He had to keep an eye on the child, while he rather suspected the man might have felt little regret had his son gotten hurt in the fight.

Momentarily distracted by the sight moving in the corner of his eye, he wasn't entirely prepared to block the attack launched at him at that precise moment, sending him flying in a most humiliating manner. Struggling to regain his ground, he then found himself constantly at a disadvantage, the first proper strike apparently having broken a rib or two, a searing pain shooting through him as he moved. Nevertheless, he couldn't back down. Not now, when Kyouya's safety was on the line. If nothing else, he had to buy time until the others would be alerted to the fact there was currently a fight going on within the complex.

Bit by bit, though, he was forced back, the hits and bruises and wounds accumulating, hindering his fight. The man's smirk as he rushed forward disturbed Dino, so close to Kyouya's yet completely different. Certainly, Kyouya could be cruel and sadistic at times, but at least his tendencies followed some kind of a rhyme and reason. It appeared clear from the look in this man's eyes that the only rule he followed in this world was his own pleasure.

Stumbling backwards from a hit to his leg, Dino found himself unable to block the following attack. He stared at the descending weapon with a kind of sickened fascination, knowing he would likely not wake up once it knocked him down.

Suddenly, something small and dark-haired was in the way, a desperate, childish cry of, "NO!" echoing through the air.

Dino, for his part, didn't even have time to cry out as the tonfa came down, striking Kyouya.

He wasn't sure what he had expected in that split second. Probably for the lifeless body of his precious little student to fall slack in his arms, given the circumstances. Whatever theory he had managed to form in his rather confused mind, though, certainly didn't coincide with the sudden explosion of energy and what appeared to be flame waves as the weapon struck, the pressure wave knocking Dino even further back from the attack.

He certainly hadn't expected to see Kyouya still standing afterwards.

It was not, he noticed in some sort of a daze, the tiny, scrawny little kid he had been dragging around for the last week or so. No, the one who emerged from the explosion was his Kyouya, tall and strong and proud, standing between him and the man as though to guard him from any further attacks.

Kyouya was, he also noted, completely naked. Of course he was naked, said a small, slightly hysterical-sounding voice in his head. He'd just literally grown out of his clothes, after all. Nevertheless, for all that the scene could have been ridiculous or strange or even disturbing, Dino merely found his heart bouncing even faster as he looked at the lean young man standing above him, the pale body entirely bare save for a few specks of blood on his skin and the intricate bracelet around one wrist.

"I dare you," Kyouya said, his voice colder than Dino had ever heard it before, shaking with the effort of keeping his rage in check as he glared at the man who had the gall to call himself Kyouya's father. "I dare you to take one step closer."

The man, sneering with conceit, stepped closer.

In the blink of an eye, Kyouya was bathed in purple flames spreading from his bracelet, black clothes materializing on his body without the spoken command even as he rushed towards his chosen prey, the weapon reacting to his intent faster than he could call for it. By the time Kyouya struck, the tonfas were already in his hands, deadly as ever. Dino stared in horrified fascination as the two so very similar men struck together, Kyouya's long coat whirling in the air as he launched attack upon attack, each one blocked and countered by an equally skilful fighter.

Dino tried to move but found it hurt too much, stuck simply watching the battle. At first it seemed equal, but after a moment of watching, he saw a pattern. Kyouya was pushing. He was setting the pace.

He was winning.

Unlike with Dino's battle earlier, Kyouya apparently had little trouble with keeping the man away from the observer. After what seemed to have taken forever but had probably only been moments, a tonfa sped right by Dino's head. After a fearful blink he realized it was the wrong kind. Not Kyouya's. A moment later, another one snapped against a wall. Having completely unarmed his opponent, Kyouya quickly knocked him down, kneeling on his chest to keep him from escaping.

"You," Kyouya hissed, glaring down at the man even as he raised his tonfa, "will never haunt my life again."

Dino was tempted to look away but he forced himself to watch, watch as the weapon was lowered, the pain and anguish and anger of years upon years behind the strike.

It was really quite remarkable, he thought, how good men and evil men all looked basically the same with their skull caved in.

He had very little memory of the exact details afterwards. There had been an alarm issued at the signs of struggle, of course, guards arriving just in time to witness the rather horrific aftermath of the ordeal. Dino was taken away by medics, his feeble attempt to reach out towards Kyouya entirely ignored in favour of attending to his rather immediate health concerns. Kyouya drew away from the crowd, of course, standing by the wall, his eyes locked on the dead man on the floor.

Nobody questioned him. Nobody asked him what had happened or why the man had died or how Kyouya had returned to his usual form. Nobody dared to. They merely patched him up and put him in bed and told him not to move are we clear or will we have to sic Kyoko-san on you. He assured them that he had no intention of moving any time soon, not with the way everything seemed to hurt right now.

Dino wasn't particularly surprised as Kyouya showed up once everyone else had cleared out, the medics and concerned friends and Don Vongola who obviously wanted to know just what had happened. Kyouya had changed out of his cambio forma clothes, now clad in his standard dark trousers and purple shirt, his expression somewhat absent even as he leant against a wall next to a window. He stayed quiet, obviously expecting Dino to start the conversation.

Well. That suited him quite well.

"Your father abused you." It wasn't a question. "He hurt and abused you and made you fear."

"I learnt to fight from him," Kyouya replied. His arms were folded around the familiar teddy bear, though it was no more the desperate grip with which his child self had clung to the toy, merely absently holding on, now. It might have looked almost adorable if the teddy bear hadn't reminded Dino of all that fear... the fear, and the promise Dino hadn't been able to keep. "Mostly by fighting back."

"I... guessed as much." Dino nodded slowly. "How... how long did it last?" How long had Kyouya had to suffer, alone, fearful, unable to trust anyone?

"I ran away from home when I was about ten," Kyouya said quietly, his gaze locked out of the window. "My maternal grandmother lived in Namimori. She was all too happy to take me in; apparently she'd never liked my father very much. I lived with her for four years until she died, leaving the house to me. I don't know if the man ever knew where I was, I just knew I wasn't going back to him if it killed me."

"...Oh." Dino blinked. He had known Kyouya had lived alone by the time they had first met, a middle school student all alone in a rather lavish traditional Japanese house, but he hadn't known just what had led to that situation. Somehow, he had never even questioned it, though he probably should have.

"And then, years later and halfway across the globe, he shows up just when I'm at my weakest," added the younger man in a murmur, a hand rising to run through his hair only to stay briefly entangled in the messy dark locks.

"Kyouya... your father... did he ever..." Dino swallowed. He wasn't sure how he could say this. He wasn't sure if there was an appropriate way of saying this. Nevertheless, he felt it had to be said, between the man's words and some of the more... peculiar... aspects of little Kyouya's behaviour.

"Hm? Would you like me to show on a doll or a picture just where the bad man touched me?" Kyouya's lips twitched into a humourless smirk though he still didn't look at Dino. "Suffice it to say he ruined my childhood in almost every way imaginable. I don't know if he truly blamed me for my mother's death that viciously or whether it was just an excuse for his own twisted desires. Either way, even with my grandmother's later influence, he managed to raise me to be just as fucked up as he was."

Dino almost flinched at the rare swearword escaping Kyouya's lips. He forced himself to stay as calm as he could, though. "Except that's not true," he said quietly. "You enjoy fighting, yes. You dislike most social interaction, yes. However, I have never, to this day, seen you be cruel to animals or children, and when it comes down to it you are the best ally anyone could ever hope for. You're a good man, Kyouya. You're nothing like him."

"Mm. That's what I keep telling myself, whenever the thought bothers me. Maybe one day I'll either believe myself or simply stop caring." A mirthless chuckle accompanied another empty gaze out of the window. "Not that it matters, anyway. I am who and what I am, regardless of either the reasons or the consequences. No amount of speculation or woe will change the facts."

"But the way people look at things may change." Maybe others could learn to see Kyouya the way Dino did, the way he suspected Tsuna did deep in his highly intuitive heart.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Finally, Kyouya turned his eyes towards Dino. "Do not tell anyone." It was not a request. He also did not need to specify just what he meant.

"I already gave Tsuna a brief summary," Dino admitted. "He was rather curious as to why your reaction to being reunited with your long-lost father would be to murder the poor man." That was quite an understatement. At first Tsuna had been out of his mind with worrying and fretting over Kyouya's actions, then over the fact he had put Kyouya and Dino in such a situation.

"He was a bastard who deserved to die," Kyouya replied wryly. "That should be all the details anyone could possibly need."

"They aren't stupid, Kyouya," Dino reminded him. "They will put things together. They will know, at least the general picture."

"Then let them put the pieces together themselves." Kyouya's lips twitched a bit. "They already think what they want about me. I just don't want to breed such useless gossip by giving them actual facts."

"I do hope you're aware that not giving them facts will just breed even wilder rumours."

"They'll be just that, though – rumours." Kyouya crossed his arms over his chest. "The facts are that my father is dead, you are hurt, I am alive. That's all the other guardians need to know."

"...They'll think you protected me," Dino pointed out quietly.

"It wouldn't be far from the truth, now would it?" The look in Kyouya's eyes softened ever so slightly. "I... was somewhat strange as a child."

"I'd say you had every excuse to be just as strange as you wanted," Dino murmured.

"But naturally." Kyouya shook his head. "...You are rather strange, yourself, Cavallone."

"Oh?" Dino raised his eyebrows. "And why would you say that?"

"Making love confessions to a five-year-old."

Dino blinked. Sure, Kyouya remembered, but... he hadn't expected him to remember quite that much. "I made no such confession," he said quietly. "And even if I had... there's a certain difference between loving someone and being in love with them."

"Is that so?" Now, it was Kyouya's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Then what would that difference be?"

"I love Kyouya," Dino said quietly. It was hardly any use to deny it. "No matter what the age or appearance or actions or attitude, I will always love Kyouya in all his forms. I will always protect him, no matter what." He looked seriously at his old student. "But... I'm only in love with this Kyouya in front of my eyes."

"Dangerous words, Cavallone." Kyouya turned his gaze away. "Last person with whom I ever shared any... intimate contact... ended up dead by my hand not a full day ago."

"I would never hurt you, Kyouya," Dino said, swallowing. The mere thought made him sick. "I would never... force myself on you. Never." Death had been too good for the man.

"I know, Cavallone. After all, you're actually a man, not some unreasoning twisted beast." Kyouya shook his head. "But if you think it's going to be as easy as simply pouring your weeping herbivore heart out to me, you've got another thing coming."

"Of course I never expected it to be that easy," Dino murmured. "Why do you think I never said anything about it before? But... I understand that. I like to think I understand Kyouya, if only a tiny bit better than anyone else understands." He paused. "I... think I understand better, now."

"Then you should know nothing would ever be worth that amount of trouble." Kyouya's shoulders were set in a rather tense manner.

"Kyouya, Kyouya, Kyouya." Dino tried to sit up, only to wince in pain and lie back down. He supposed he was indeed bedridden for the moment. "You know me. I'm a sentimental, idiotic old herbivore." He shook his head. "I would fight the entire world to be by your side. A few past demons aren't going to stop me as long as even the smallest chance remains that I might have you."

"Then," Kyouya said, eyes flickering towards him, "you are an idiot." However, as Dino noted, he never told him the task was impossible to achieve.

For a moment, Dino was quiet, sinking back into his pillows. "Kyouya?" he then asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone. "Would you like a kitten?"

"I'll have to think about it," Kyouya said, his lips twitching minutely, and finally, for the first time in what seemed like forever, he looked like nothing was haunting him at the moment. "After all, it looks like I'm already in danger of gaining a horse."


End file.
